On A Roll

The Podcast that helps you Level Up Your RPG!

About the show

The On A Roll podcast focuses on better storytelling, better playing and better community through the belief that the only way to win an RPG is to have fun, so Ryan, Carie and Jason are sharing their experiences to help you spend more time winning! Join the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite as they talk about tabletop gaming, LARPing, MUSHing and keeping your investment in check.

Join us on Facebook and let us know your thoughts on the show, gaming and having more fun!

If you like the show, help support our production and keep us going by supporting On A Roll on Patreon.

On A Roll on social media

Episodes and Blog Entries

  • The White Wolf Dilemma 2

    Article  |  December 31st, 2019
    By Ryan - The Curmudgeon
    by night studios, crisis, geeks, larp, roleplaying games, rpg, vampire, white wolf, world of darkness

    In the last three years, White Wolf has found itself repeatedly mired in controversy. It's happened again this week. What would Ryan see done to fix it?

  • Episode 239: Thankful Gaming

    Episode  |  November 27th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  57 mins 53 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    This week is our final episode of season 2, so the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend spend some time talking about what they are thankful for in gaming. Carie, Jason and Ryan do some Thanksgiving work and share some love before the break! Season 3 will signal our hosts' return in January 2020!

  • Episode 238: The Gun Belt

    Episode  |  November 22nd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 8 mins
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, the gun belt, world of darkness, xp

    After two seasons of trying, the Favorite and the Legend finally convince the Curmudgeon to let them talk to him about his independent roleplaying game project. Carie, Jason and Ryan spend some time this week exploring the frontier, wild west world without wheels featured in The Gun Belt!

  • Episode 237: Problem DMs

    Episode  |  November 14th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 26 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    The Curmudgeon and the Legend have talked a lot about problem players, but this week they have a conversation about what happens when the game runner is the problem. Carie and Ryan do a deep dive into how gamers can address and prevent problem DMs!

  • The Gun Belt Developer's Diary 9: Mechanical Difficulties

    Article  |  October 21st, 2019
    By Ryan - The Curmudgeon
    d&d, d6, fate, game developer, gaming, indie game design, masks, mechanics, roleplaying, rpg, star trek, star wars, system, the gun belt

    In the latest installment of Ryan's developer diary about his independent rpg, The Gun Belt, he shares insight into how the Part and Parcel character and mechanic system was developed.

  • Episode 236: What the Heck is MUSH?

    Episode  |  October 17th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 12 mins
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    This week, the Curmudgeon and the Legend hang out with Sarah to do a deep dive into what the heck MUSHing is. Carie, Sarah and Ryan discuss the hobby, how it works and what makes it the same and different from other kinds of roleplaying games!

  • Episode 235: Ten Things That Will Make Your Character Better

    Episode  |  October 11th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 5 mins
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    Continuing the Ten Things lists, this week the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend talk about better characters. Carie, Jason and Ryan assemble a list of the Ten Things That Will Make Your Character Better!

  • Episode 234: Ten Things to Make Your Setting Better

    Episode  |  October 3rd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 21 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    This week, the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend investigate some basic approaches to making the setting where your game takes place even better. Carie, Jason and Ryan gleen their experiences to compile a list of ten simple things anyone running a game can do right now to improve locations in their game and help everyone have more fun!

  • Episode 233: Don't Run This, But If You Must...

    Episode  |  September 26th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 6 mins
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, safety, sexual assault, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    There's a lot of talk about offensive topics in games right now, so the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend examine sexual assault, child abuse, pregnancy, miscarriage and abortion in gaming. Carie, Jason and Ryan discuss alternative stories that storytellers can run that can evoke the same kinds of emotional responses from players without creating threatening, unsafe or uncomfortable games!

  • Episode 232: That New Consent Checklist

    Episode  |  September 19th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 11 mins
    characters, consent, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, safety, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    Monte Cook Games published a Consent Checklist book this week, so the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend gave it a read. Carie, Jason and Ryan discuss what's in the document, as well as their thoughts on it as a tool for gaming! They even look at some of the reactions folks are having to it.

  • Episode 231: Trolling the Waters

    Episode  |  September 12th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  54 mins 20 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    With the Favorite off for the week, the Curmudgeon and the Legend examine the six gaming topics most likely to cause troll-ignited dumpster fires. Carie, not-Jason and Ryan talk blackface at larp, professional DMing, the Mercer effect and more!

  • The Gun Belt Developer's Diary 8: Tempting Fate

    Article  |  August 26th, 2019
    By Ryan - The Curmudgeon
    d6, fate, game developer, gaming, indie game design, mechanics, roleplaying, rpg, system, the gun belt

    Part eight of Ryan's Developer's Diary about the creation of the independent RPG, The Gun Belt, looks at the decision to use Fate as the mechanical system for the game and why that didn't work out. Find out why The Gun Belt moved to the D6 system before finally landing in an original mechanics system.

  • Episode 230: The Eight Fun Languages

    Episode  |  August 22nd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 15 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    A group of scholars determined that there are eight types of fun in games. The Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend explore these "fun languages." After learning about them, Carie, Jason and Ryan examine how players and game runners can use them to make their games more fun!

  • Episode 229: Help! I'm a new player!

    Episode  |  August 15th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 44 secs
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    After hearing from a friend who played their first D&D game ever recently, the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend decided to talk about what new players should think about as they join a game. Carie, Jason and Ryan deep dive into the things new players should do to help make their first game even more fun!

  • Episode 228: Ten Things To Make Your Game Better

    Episode  |  August 9th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 4 mins
    characters, dungeons and dragons, experience points, game design, games, geeks, larp, mush, pathfinder, podcast, roleplaying, rpg, tabletop, world of darkness, xp

    This week, the Favorite, the Curmudgeon and the Legend investigate some basic approaches to making your game better. Carie, Jason and Ryan gleen their experiences to compile a list of ten simple things anyone running a game can do right now to improve their group and help everyone have more fun!

  • The Gun Belt Developer's Diary 7: Which Came First, The Dino or the Dice?

    Article  |  August 7th, 2019
    By Ryan - The Curmudgeon
    dice, fate, game developer, game theory, gaming, indie game design, kids on bikes, roleplaying, rpg, star wars, systems, the gun belt, vampire

    Part seven of Ryan's Developer's Diary about the creation of the independent RPG, The Gun Belt, follows the initial design decisions concerning how to balance creating the world with creating the mechanics. Which comes first? Dinos or dice?